Spin cycle on the California water

Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, has co-authored legislation that seeks a reliable federal allocation of a natural resource with a notoriously unreliable supply — California water. Denham and his co-sponsors have already muddied the water by conflating job loss caused by a downturn in the housing industry with fewer agricultural jobs due to reduced federal water allocations caused by drought.

Earlier this month Denham claimed that Central Valley farmers pay full freight for irrigation water even if the federal government only has enough water to deliver half or less of a water district’s contracted allocation.

As author of the 1992 law that says farmers only pay for what the federal government delivers, Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, called foul.
“CVP (Central Valley Project) irrigation contractors do not pay anything close to the ‘full cost’ of CVP water even when they do take their contract maximum, since in all but the rarest of circumstances, CVP irrigation contractors pay no interest on the CVP’s billion dollar facilities that were constructed with taxpayer dollars. In no sense, therefore, do the water service contractors ‘pay the full cost’ of a full allocation in a dry year like this one — or in any year,” wrote Miller in a letter to Denham.

The bill, HR 1837, has already passed the Republican-led House and moved on to the Senate. It is roiling more than water. It figures into an election year battle for the hearts and minds of Central Valley voters. Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater, is retiring. Jim Costa, D-Hanford, has a tough election battle. HR1837 is sponsored by Republicans. The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) has put a watch on the legislation, but taken no position.